LEADER JEFFRIES ON PBS: "EXTREME MAGA REPUBLICANS HAVE PUT THE COUNTRY IN A HOSTAGE-TAKING SITUATION"

Press Release

Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined PBS NewsHour with Geoff Bennett where he emphasized that House Democrats are continuing to put People Over Politics and ensure that America pays its bills while extreme MAGA Republicans attempt to force a devastating default on our debt.

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Leader Jeffries in the Cannon Rotunda appearing on PBS NewsHour

BENNETT: In the House of Representatives, New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries plays a key role in the debt ceiling negotiations. I spoke with him earlier. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Welcome to the NewsHour. Thanks so much for being with us.

JEFFRIES: Good evening. Great to be with you.

BENNETT: After yesterday's White House meeting, what's the path forward on raising the debt ceiling? House Republicans and nearly every Senate Republican, 43 of them, say they won't vote to raise the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts and Democrats, of course, don't accept that premise.

JEFFRIES: Well, President Biden, House and Senate Democrats continue to make clear that there's only one reasonable, acceptable, responsible path forward, which is to make sure that we avoid a dangerous default on our debt in a manner consistent with what has been done under Democratic presidents and Republican presidents for decades. It's unfortunate that many of the extreme MAGA Republicans in the Capitol have chosen to put the country in a hostage-taking situation and essentially say to us that either we must accept the Default on America Act with extreme cuts to Medicaid that would impact disabled children and seniors, extreme cuts to health care, extreme cuts to law enforcement, extreme cuts to food insecurity programs, as well as extreme cuts to education. Accept the Default on America Act is their position or else we will default and that's just inherently unreasonable. I'm thankful that President Biden convened us yesterday to have a conversation - House, Senate, along with the administration - and will be bringing us back together on Friday to see where's the common ground. Where are the areas of disagreement and how can we bridge those gaps in order to make sure that we avoid a default. So, we're on a path, hopefully to resolving this issue sooner rather than later.

BENNETT: Speaker McCarthy told reporters yesterday that he believes that the White House and congressional leaders need to arrive at a deal by next week in order to pass legislation that would raise the debt limit by early June. Do you share that assessment? And is that timeline realistic?

JEFFRIES: Well, I share the assessment that we need to resolve this issue sooner rather than later. Even flirting with a default could trigger a job-killing recession. It could crash the stock market. That will hurt millions and millions of retirees across the country. It's also going to dramatically raise costs. And so, hopefully on Friday, the Republican leadership will see fit to come together, sit down, have a reasonable discussion about finding common ground and take us out of this hostage-taking situation.

BENNETT: It appears the White House has ruled out a short-term increase of the debt ceiling to do that while the negotiations continue. Is there a universe, though, where this could happen on parallel tracks; that the debt ceiling is raised and there is a separate agreement on spending cuts? Both sides get what they want. Both sides get to declare victory.

JEFFRIES: Well, President Biden's position from the very beginning, which has also been the position of Leader Schumer, Senate and House Democrats, is that we must avoid a default on our debt. But simultaneously, we are, of course, open and willing and ready and able to have a discussion about what future spending priorities, what future investment priorities, and what future revenues should look like to make sure that we're protecting the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people. Geoff, that is something that we do here in Congress every year. But we can't do it with a gun being held to the head of the American people by the extreme MAGA Republicans here in the Capitol, threatening a dangerous default. And hopefully, again on Friday, when we have this meeting, we can arrive at a path forward to do what is necessary to pay America's bills.

BENNETT: A question about Title 42. The U.S. is bracing for the expiration of that pandemic-era border restriction. Two of your Democratic colleagues in border states, Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, say their communities don't have the resources and they don't have the infrastructure they need to keep pace with an expected surge of migrants. President Biden acknowledged the situation, in his words, would be chaotic for a while. The question is why? Why should the situation be chaotic when the administration had two years to prepare for it?

JEFFRIES: Well, we're facing an unprecedented surge of migrants from Venezuela, from Cuba, from Haiti, from the Central American Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. And I think the administration has done all that it can with the resources that it has been provided. Clearly, the administration needs more in order to fully establish order at the border and a pathway forward, a pathway forward that should involve making sure that our values as a nation of immigrants, as a compassionate nation are also not violated, they're vindicated. Congress should come together. Earlier today, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act, which is a comprehensive immigration reform bill anchored in common sense and compassion and consistent with our country's history as a nation anchored in the rule of law. That's the approach that we should take moving forward. Unfortunately, what we see from the extreme MAGA Republicans here in Washington, D.C., is that they are trying to bring forth an immigration bill that will throw children out of the country, break up families and spend billions of dollars in- or in the effort to construct a medieval border wall that is a failed policy of the former president of the United States of America, a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem.

BENNETT: Should President Biden consider reinstating Title 42, as even some Democrats have suggested, do you think?

JEFFRIES: Well, the public health emergency is over, but there are tools that will be available to the administration, as has been indicated. With Title 42 lapsing, Title 8 does provide some ability for the Biden administration to manage the situation at the border, but we are going to have to provide the Department of Homeland Security with additional resources so that it can do its job. And I urge my Republican colleagues to join us in making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has those resources so it can appropriately conduct itself along the border.

BENNETT: This is your first time on the NewsHour in your capacity as House Democratic Leader. And I want to take the occasion to ask you, one, how you view your role and two, what Democrats hope to achieve, even while in the minority right now?

JEFFRIES: Well, we want to continue to try to find common ground whenever and wherever possible with the other side of the aisle. That's what we've always been about. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was bipartisan. The CHIPS and Science Act, bipartisan. The Safer Communities Act, bipartisan. Many of the things that we've done over the last several years have been bipartisan in nature. So, we're going to continue to try to find common ground to make life better for everyday Americans and build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up under the leadership of President Biden. At the same time, we are going to push back against extremism whenever necessary. And unfortunately, in the House of Representatives, we see a lot of extremism on issues like reproductive freedom or gun safety and the inability to do something on this issue or even on democracy and we will continue to stand strong against that extremism. It's been an honor to serve the people of the Eighth Congressional District, to previously serve as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and a continuing honor to now serve in this position. And it's just consistent with America as a country, a government of the people, by the people and for the people. I emerged from a working-class community in Crown Heights. I think that's the best of the American tradition of sending people to Washington, D.C., who try our best to represent those individuals we're privileged to serve.

BENNETT: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Thanks for your time, sir. Good to see you.

JEFFRIES: Thank you.

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